Application

HENRY FORD HOSPITAL
Dietetic Internship Program
Department of Food and Nutrition Services
2799 West Grand Boulevard
Detroit, Michigan 48202-2689
(313) 916-3473

Directions

Please read the following information carefully. Failure to complete the application process accurately and completely will cause your application to be discarded.

Qualifications of Applicants

Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) Accreditation Standards require programs to have policies and procedures in place to ensure that applicable degree and coursework requirements are completed before Dietetic Internship enrollment. Applicants must have a verification statement from a Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) or Foreign Dietitian Education Program (FDE) and have earned at least a master’s degree granted by a U.S. accredited college/ university or foreign equivalent. 

• Minimum GPA: A 3.0 is the minimum grade point average an applicant must have to be considered for an appointment to the Program.
• Prior Work Experience: Professional experiences in hospital, clinical dietetics, or hospital food service, in community nutrition or in any health care or food service activity along with supervisory experiences are evaluated. Experiences may be as an employee or as a volunteer: forty (40) hours minimum and confirmation of this experience is required in at least one of the reference letters.
• Activities & Organizations: Applicants' extracurricular activities and organizational memberships provide additional insight into their interests and ability to work with others, motivation, maturity and leadership potential.

Foreign Degree Applicants

Applicants, who have obtained their education outside of the U.S. and its territories, must have their academic degree(s) validated as equivalent to the Baccalaureate of Master's degree conferred by a regionally accredited college or university in the U.S. The original foreign degree equivalency statement must accompany the application form. Validation of a foreign degree does not eliminate the need for a Verification Statement of completion of a Didactic Program in Dietetics.

Selection of Dietetic Interns

• Number of Interns: Eight applicants are accepted into the HFH Dietetic Internship Program each year.
• Selection Criteria: A selection committee reviews each application for overall GPA, GPA for professional and science courses, work experience, letters of recommendation, letters of application, extracurricular activities and leadership potential. Additionally, the applicant's dossier is evaluated on content, clarity, thoroughness and presentation. Written communication skills and personal objectives are important in the process.
• Nondiscrimination: Henry Ford Health, its affiliates and educational programs do not discriminate against applicants to its programs. Application forms do not require information about race, religion, sex, national origin, age, height, weight, marital status, familial status, handicap or disabled veteran status. After admission a request may be made for some of the above information for analysis of admission trends.
• Interviews: The Program Director schedules telephone interviews with qualified applicants. Any expenses incurred because of the interview are the responsibility of the applicant. In addition, applicants are welcome to come and tour the facility and meet with the Internship Director to discuss the Program. Contact Ashlee Carnahan (313) 916-3473 to arrange a personal interview and/or tour.

Deadline Dates

The following deadline dates and appointment dates for computer matching Dietetic Internship appointments have been established in conjunction with D&D Digital and DICAS.

For applicants applying to dietetics programs (CP, DI, GP, ISPP) that begin in 2023

Application Opens October 4, 2022

For fall and spring matching dates: DICAS Dietetic Internship Centralized Application Services

Application Phase

The Henry Ford Hospital Dietetic Internship Program participates in the Dietetic Internship Centralized Application System (DICAS). All applications must be submitted through DICAS.  

As part of the application process, you will need to:

• Complete the on-line application which includes listing of your work and volunteer experiences, calculates your grade point and a copy of your personal statement. 
• Mail a copy of the official transcript from each college and university you have attended to the following address:

DICAS Online
P.O. Box 9118
Watertown, Massachusetts 02471
Phone: (617) 612-2855
Email: dicasinfo@dicas.org

Further Applicant Responsibilities:

Applicants are responsible for obtaining current application materials from the Dietetic Internships (DI). The basic steps in this process are:

• Obtain current application materials from selected Dietetic Internships at least 6 months prior to the computer match in April and November annually. Please note that DI application forms are not available on the A.N.D web site or from A.N.D staff. You must get all required application information from the DI programs.
• Discuss application materials with your Didactic Program Director, if available.
• If required, apply to take Graduate Record Examination (GRE). (Not required for HFH Dietetic Internship)
• Obtain the Declaration of Intent to Complete form or a Verification Statement from your Didactic Program Director. One of these standardized forms is provided by the Didactic Program Director and is required as part of the DI application materials.
• Request references from advisor / faculty / employers and order official transcripts as needed for each DI application.
• Complete each DI application according to instructions provided with the application and submit the materials to the DI director by the designated deadline date. Questions about completing applications should be referred to the DI Director or your DPD Director, not A.N.D. staff.
• Provide telephone number(s) with applications where you can be reached on Appointment Day.
• Send all materials before the postmark deadline and by receipted mail for proof of mailing date and delivery. Enclose a self-addressed stamped postcard if you want to be notified of receipt of the DI application from the program.
• Applicants must register on the dicas.liaisoncas.com, pay the $65.00 computer matching fee with a credit card and submit their prioritized list of selected dietetic internships online to D&D Digital before the designated deadline dates (Refer to Dates for the Computer Matching Process for each appointment period). Applicants should call D&D Digital prior to the deadline if they do not receive an e-mail with login information.
• If you do not receive a match, you must register with D&D Digital for each Spring and Fall computer matching period.

Computer Matching Phase (D&D Digital)

• Applicants are responsible for notifying D&D Digital, in writing, of a decision to withdraw from the matching process if circumstances will prevent them from accepting a match that may occur.
• Applicants are responsible for telephoning D&D Digital if they cannot access the D&D Digital Internet site to view their personal matching results on Notification Day. 

Address and phone number of computer matching firm are:

Phone (515) 292-0490
FAX (515) 663-9427
E-mail dnd@sigler.com

Appointment Phase

• Applicants who receive a computer match DI appointment are responsible for accepting or rejecting the match by telephone and email by 11:00 am (of the program's time zone) on Appointment Day.
• Applicants who submitted a Declaration of Intent to complete form with their DI applications must obtain a signed DPD Verification Statement from their DPD Program Director and official transcript documenting completion of the master's degree before they may begin the DI.

Important Applicant Responsibilities

Participants in the computer matching process are expected to adhere to the results of the match and accept a match that may occur. It is unethical to decline a match in order to pursue appointment to another program.

Programs with open positions will be posted on the D&D Digital Web site the day following Appointment Day. Applicants who do not receive a computer match must not contact any program with open positions until the day following Appointment Day. In addition, please do not ask your Didactic Program Director to inquire about programs with open positions until the day programs with open positions are posted. This allows the DI programs time to confirm acceptance from their matched applicants and determine the process they will use to fill open positions.

In addition to completing the on-line application process, you must also submit your computer matching applicant matching preferences to D&D Digital by their established deadline date.

Henry Ford Dietetic Internship further requires:

• An application Letter (Business letter format) written in your own handwriting. In this letter please answer the following questions:
  • Why have you chosen the HFH Internship? (Remember, the Internship has a Nutrition Therapy Concentration)
  • What are your specific expectations of the HFH Internship Program?
• A telephone interview set up by the Internship Director. Please send a phone number and e-mail address so that the interviews may be set up. The telephone interview is planned for 10 minutes and the applicant is evaluated for:
  • Ability to cope with change
  • Conflict Management skills
  • Decision making skills
  • Communication skills
• An application fee of $100.00 which is non-refundable. Checks are to be made payable to HFH Dietetic Internship Program and sent to:
  • Dietetic Internship Program
    c/o Ashlee Carnahan, MS, RD
    Henry Ford Hospital
    Department of Food and Nutrition Services
    2799 West Grand Boulevard
    Detroit, Michigan 48202-2689

Receipt of Application

If you want to be notified that the additional application materials have been received, have your application sent by certified mail.

Return of Application Materials

Application materials of those persons not receiving an appointment to HFH are not returned. They are shredded.

Appointment

In April of each year, matched applicants must telephone and e-mail with-in 24 hours of the match, the Program Director to confirm the acceptance or rejection of the match.